


High Sodium Content

by ghostlyhamburger



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chameleon Salt, F/M, Gen, Lila salt, Maribat salt, Parody, Podfic Welcome, Salt, class salt, fandom salt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21792841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostlyhamburger/pseuds/ghostlyhamburger
Summary: Marinette doesn't want to deal with Lila anymore. The kwamis make that happen for her.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Comments: 71
Kudos: 727





	High Sodium Content

“And _then_ Lila accused me of not giving her yesterday’s notes, which I _never said I would do in the first place!_ ” Marinette groaned and flopped face-first onto her bed, using the mattress to muffle a frustrated scream.

Luckily, her room was a safe place for her to vent—she had a willing audience in the form of kwamis, the small powerful creatures who she’d recently become the Guardian of. She’d started a routine of wearing all the miraculous gems for just a little bit at a time each day—it had a physical toll on her, but it was worth it to let the kwamis interact with the world for a short while, strategize with them, learn from them about the mysteries of the miraculous.

Or, today’s activity, complaining just how _awful_ Lila truly was.

“Sometimes I just wish I could get away from her completely,” Marinette groaned. “It’s a bad idea to murder her, right?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Tikki said emphatically, while Kaalki pondered, “If you just send her somewhere remote on her own, is that the same thing as killing her?”

“Calm down,” Marinette said. “I’m not going to do anything to her. I’m just going to daydream about it a little.”

“Have you tried meditation?” Wayzz asked. “Master Fu devoted hours each day to clearing his mind and relieving stress.”

Marinette laughed. “You _know_ I don’t have that much time.”

Each of the kwamis offered their own unique type of advice, until Marinette yawned, feeling the fatigue from wearing the jewels.

“All right, guys, you’ve been really helpful, but it’s time to go back now,” she said. “I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!”

She delicately placed each jewel back in the miracle box before returning to her bed and falling into a deep sleep.

**

Inside the miracle box, the kwamis plotted together.

“She’s under too much stress,” Mullo tutted. “Can’t we help her?”

“I bet Plagg would handle that Lila girl!” Ziggy said eagerly. “We should get Tikki to ask him!”

“Plagg could easily cause the distraction of all of Paris,” Longg pointed out. “We must think of something else.”

Daizzi spoke up, his voice soft, “What if we grant her wish? She wants to be away from this girl completely.”

“Another timeline!” Fluff said suddenly. “Another world, where she doesn’t have to deal with the liar, and everything is better! Let’s take her there!”

With all the kwamis working together, as Marinette slept on soundly, the world around them shifted and changed, becoming something…different.

**

Marinette woke up to the sound of an unfamiliar alarm blaring. “Whazzit—Tikki?” she mumbled.

“Come _on_ , Mari!” a strange voice cried. “You don’t want to be late again! Ugh, I need to go, I’ll see you in class!”

Marinette opened her eyes just in time to see a long blonde braid disappear out the door of the room which was definitely _not_ her bedroom. She seemed to be in some sort of dorm room, on the top bunk of a bunk bed set. Two dressers and two desks were crammed in the room, one set decorated with things she recognized from home, and the other set entirely unfamiliar.

“Tikki?” she called nervously. “What’s going on?”

She was more relieved than she wanted to admit when Tikki flew out from one of the dressers. “What do you mean, Marinette? You slept in again.”

“I mean, where _am_ I?” Marinette asked, her eyes wide with fear. “I went to sleep at home, now I’m in this weird place!”

Tikki floated closer to her, concern clear in her small features. “This is your dorm, Marinette. You fell asleep _here_ last night. You’ve been at this school for two months, are you okay? Are you having nightmares again?”

“This _is_ the nightmare!” she cried. “What do you mean, this school? What happened to Francois Dupont? What about Alya and Adrien and my friends?”

Tikki’s expression suddenly darkened. “You don’t need _them_ anymore. You’re better than they ever were, and you know it!”

“Tikki, what’s wrong with you?”

The small kwami suddenly gasped. “I might know what’s happening, so I’ll be right back! You should get dressed, okay?”

Marinette nodded, shakily climbing out of the bed as Tikki zipped off. She walked to one of the dressers, the one that had the miracle box— _out in the open!_ —on top of it, and opened one of the drawers, seeing her own clothes neatly folded inside. She also noticed her phone sitting at its charger next to the miracle box.

She had a bunch of text messages from people she definitely didn’t know—Melodie and Claude—but also a surprising number of texts from people she _did_ know, who wouldn’t have reason to talk to her so often. Chloe, Kagami, and Luka.

She scrolled through old texts until she found her last conversation with Alya, taking place over a month ago.

**Alya:** _so you’re just going to leave without goodbye???_

**Alya:** _I guess we’re not really friends huh_

**Marinette:** _no. we haven’t been friends for a long time. I’m sorry, but please don’t contact me again._

What the _hell_ had happened?

Tikki flew out of the miracle box, a sour look on her face. “All right. You should sit down for this, Marinette.”

She did, pulling out the chair beside one of the desks.

“You’re not the same Marinette,” Tikki said. “You’re from another timeline. The other kwamis did this to try to help you, because _this_ is the timeline where you got away from Lila.”

“I did?” Marinette asked, smiling slightly. “So—this school, everything—I don’t have to deal with her at all anymore?”

“That’s right.”

“But—why aren’t Alya and I friends anymore? What happened?”

“She refused to listen to you about Lila, and kept piling more and more responsibilities and requests on you until you snapped,” Tikki said. “I’m sorry, but it just wasn’t going to work anymore. You’re better off without them, anyways.”

Marinette nodded slowly. “Okay. So, new school, new friends. Maybe I can make amends with Alya? What am I supposed to do now?”

“Breathe,” Tikki said calmly. “You’re going to go to class, and go on with your day. I’ll help fill in the blanks so you can act normal, okay?” She floated up to Marinette’s forehead and leaned her own forehead against the girl’s, humming a certain tone as a flash of magic sparked between them.

“What was that?” Marinette asked.

 _I’m in your head now_ , Tikki replied, though her mouth didn’t move. _I’ll talk to you like this, just to help you. I can’t do it for too long at a time, though, it’s a lot of energy._

“How do I get home?”

_It’s going to take a few months for the kwami power to recharge before they can send you home. In the meantime, you can relax here, decide if you want to stay or go._

“Okay,” Marinette said, finally releasing a deep breath. “Class. Be normal. I can probably do this. For…months. Okay.”

**

She couldn’t do this.

Her first class was history, and this school was so much farther along than where she was used to. She was totally lost. On top of that, _Chloe_ of all people was sitting next to her!

And being _nice!_

 _She was humiliated by Lila, so she decided to switch schools with you_ , Tikki told her. _She’s your best friend now._

“So, do you want to work together?” Chloe asked suddenly when the teacher stopped talking.

“What?” Marinette asked, startled back into the present.

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Work together. On the project. You _were_ listening, right, Dupain-Cheng?”

“Uh, sure,” Marinette replied. “That—that sounds good.”

“Cool,” Chloe said with a genuine smile. “I’ll text you the details.”

**

Marinette was able to relax until lunchtime. The classes were hard, but not impossible, and she at least knew how to sit and take notes.

It was lunch when she had a problem. She grabbed some food from the cafeteria, already missing the ability to just go _home_ and have some of her mother’s leftover bao or noodles.

 _Sit with Chloe and Kagami_ , Tikki told her. _That table is where your friends are._

As she crossed the cafeteria, Tikki helped her understand who everyone at the table was.

_The girl with the braid is Melodie. She’s your roommate. The boy next to her, brown hair, is Claude. You know Chloe, and Kagami, and Luka. The boy with the black hair is Damian, an American exchange student and your boyfriend._

“My what?” Marinette asked out loud, stopping in her tracks. A few people looked at her curiously, so she ducked her head and kept walking.

_Your boyfriend. You met him on patrol, and it was love at first sight! So sweet! Oh! Also, all of your friends know you’re Ladybug._

She dropped her tray, letting the food and plates clatter against the ground. With all eyes on her, she turned and bolted, not knowing where she was going, but knowing she had to be _not there_.

She found herself alone in a bathroom. Tikki zipped out of her purse, concerned. “Marinette, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“Everything!” Marinette cried. “First off—boyfriend? What about Adrien?”

Tikki frowned, and said slowly, “You stopped loving him. He wouldn’t stand up for you with Lila, and said _you_ were the bully for calling her out.”

Marinette paled. “H-he said that? He—I thought he was my friend, at least…how could he do that? He doesn’t like Lila either!”

“Well, he must like her somewhat,” Tikki said, “since they’re dating.”

Marinette turned and headed into one of the stalls.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to be _sick!_ ” she replied. “Adrien and _Lila?_ How—why _her?_ ”

“I don’t know, Marinette. I’m sorry.”

She just huffed, sitting down on the toilet. “Okay. So, putting aside _that_ for now—everyone _knows_ I’m Ladybug? And you’re _okay_ with that? What about protecting my secret identity?”

“Well, you told them when you recruited them,” Tikki said. “You realized it’s easier to fight when you have a big team.”

“You’re not wrong, but what about Chat Noir? Do I know who he is?”

“No,” Tikki replied. “It doesn’t matter, anyways.”

“Why not?”

Tikki frowned, clearly loathe to tell her, but finally admitted, “For the past two months, Chat Noir’s been working _with_ Hawkmoth.”

“No,” Marinette said, _actually_ feeling sick this time. “No—no, he wouldn’t!”

“He accused you of replacing him, and you tried to take back his miraculous—he ran away and then he was fighting against you at the next akuma attack.”

“This makes no sense!” she cried. “I wouldn’t take his miraculous back. He wouldn’t just give up and work with Hawkmoth!”

“Oh, Marinette,” Tikki said, pushing her small body against the girl’s cheek in a comforting gesture. “I know this is hard to hear.”

“I just want to go _home_ , Tikki,” Marinette said, tears starting to roll down her face. “None of this is right. I want my _friends_ , I want my _partner_ …”

“I know,” Tikki said softly. “You just need to hang on for a few months, okay? You’re _happy_ here, I promise. Maybe you’ll learn to like it here instead!”

“Maybe,” she replied, wiping at her eyes. “I—I’ll just try to fit in.”

“Marinette?” a voice called from outside the bathroom. The door opened, and Kagami walked inside. “There you are. Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” Marinette said shakily. “I just—I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, you know? I’m fine now.”

“Good. Let’s go back and let everyone know you’re okay.”

**

“I found her,” Kagami announced as they got back to the table. “She says she’s okay, but you know Mari…”

“You know you can talk to us, right?” the blonde girl, Melodie, asked. “We’re your friends! And your team!”

“Quiet on the team thing while we’re at school, remember?” Claude hissed. “Come on, Mari, there’s room over here.”

Marinette sit down at the table, between the two unfamiliar boys. The black haired one, her apparent _boyfriend_ , wrapped his arm around her and kissed her cheek. She tried not to recoil.

“Are you doing okay, really?” he asked, his voice holding a heavy American accent.

“I’m fine,” she replied.

“Anyways, like I was saying,” Chloe said loudly. “We need to meet up after school. For that _project_? Claude found a major lead.”

Claude nodded eagerly. “But—let’s talk later. Right?”

“Pound it!” the whole group chorused, Marinette just a beat behind. They met their fists in the center of the table.

**

The afternoon was just slightly easier for Marinette. Instead of regular classes, she was apparently enrolled in some kind of arts program, meaning she went to a large fashion design studio, all the fabrics and fancy sewing gadgets that she could want available.

Tikki told her where to find her project, a jacket she was making for Damian. She still couldn’t get used to the idea of that stranger being her boyfriend.

She grimaced as she pulled out the jacket. It was solid black and bulky, not the kind of thing she usually liked to design. But, it was apparently her current project, so she had to do _something_ with it.

A few hours passed by as she worked on keeping the strength of the jacket without the bulk, hopefully streamlining it so it wouldn’t look so… _bad_.

She didn’t even notice the final bell ring for the day until Tikki nudged her, reminding her that she was meeting her supposed friends.

**

Tikki directed Marinette to transform and meet her friends on the roof. Since students weren’t allowed there, they apparently always met in costume to keep from getting caught.

Marinette recognized Viperion, Ryuuko, and Queen Bee, but she was a little surprised to see a new Turtle and Fox hero.

 _Melodie and Claude,_ Tikki told her. _They go by Kitsune and Kid Turtle._

Damian was also there. Even though he had a mask, he was easily recognizable to Marinette. He wore a bright outfit, a red suit with a black and yellow cape, and green boots and gloves.

 _He calls himself Robin_ , Tikki said. _He works with the American hero Batman_.

“So!” Kid Turtle said once everyone was there. “I’ve been tracking butterfly movements across Paris, and I think I know where Hawkmoth’s lair is!”

The rest of the group murmured in excitement.

“Let’s go there this weekend and finally beat him!” Melodie said.

“Yeah!” agreed Viperion.

Ladybug stayed quiet, but nodded along with everyone else.

 _It’s Wednesday,_ Tikki told her in reply to her unasked question. _You can defeat Hawkmoth three days from now, and then focus on going home—if you still want to._

She very much wanted to.

**

Over the next few days, Marinette slowly got to know her new group of friends. She learned from Tikki that this timeline diverged from her own right around the time that Lila was akumatized by Chameleon—so there were a _lot_ of changes to get used to.

Melodie was an all right roommate. She didn’t really do much—she worked on homework and then went to bed. She was talkative, but always kept to lighthearted subjects, like movies or music. When Marinette did ask her what her home life was like, if she had any family at the school, she seemed to simply freeze up, giving a blank smile until Marinette changed the subject.

Claude talked a mile a minute whenever he hung out with Marinette. He was like a geekier version of Max, somehow, constantly going on and on about the minute details of his programming and analyses.

Marinette swore she heard him once talking about installing a flux capacitor to his bike. She wasn’t sure how much of _anything_ he was saying was correct, and what just sounded cool.

Like Melodie, Claude never talked about his personal life, and questions were just ignored.

How in the world were these people her friends?

**

She was _relieved_ when she got to spend some time with Luka. She knew him! She liked him! It should have been _easy_ to talk to him!

“So, how long have you been going to this school?” she asked him as they spent time in the school’s courtyard together.

Luka didn’t answer with words, but smiled cryptically and played a few chords on his guitar.

“How’s Juleka doing?”

His guitar sounded…angry?

“Have you heard anything about Francois Dupont? Or Lila?”

Luka somehow managed to make an acoustic guitar screech like he was in a metal band, and Marinette took that as her cue to leave.

**

She wandered around the campus, exploring the new to her buildings and grounds, when she happened upon Kagami and Chloe. The two were locked in a passionate kiss, Kagami pinning Chloe against a wall.

Marinette froze on seeing them, then turned and walked away. There were just…too many questions.

**

Friday night, she apparently had a date with Damian. He’d barely talked in the few days she knew him, so she wasn’t sure how she was going to handle being _alone_ with him.

He took her to the Louvre, where they could walk around together. He didn’t do much besides hold her hand, which was…okay, she guessed.

But then they turned a corner and ran into some faces Marinette recognized—Nathaniel and Alix.

“Hey guys!” she greeted them happily, so excited to see a familiar face. Her happiness quickly faded as the two of them looked at her in disgust.

“Didn’t I tell you not to come back here?” Alix asked. “After what you did to poor Lila?”

“What I did?”

“Oh, don’t play stupid,” Nathaniel chimed in. “You’re out of the school, and you can’t hurt us anymore.”

“You should _leave_ ,” Alix added. “No bullies allowed.”

Marinette was dumbstruck. What had she—or really, Alternate Marinette—done to them? To Lila?

Damian finally let go of her hand, stepping between her and her former classmates. “Leave my Princess alone,” he snarled.

The nickname sent another pain through her heart, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.

“What, you’re going to stand up for a bully?” Nathaniel scoffed. “I guess you deserve someone like her.”

In a flash, Damian drew back his fist and punched forward, hitting Nathaniel square in the jaw. The impact rang out through the otherwise silent halls of the art museum as the redhead ended up sprawled on the ground.

“Want to keep insulting her?” Damian shouted.

A sudden explosion and screams could be heard from outside, and Marinette had never been so grateful for an akuma attack in her life.

**

“What’s _wrong_ with him?” Marinette hissed at Tikki as soon as she found a place to hide.

“He protects you!” Tikki chirped happily. “Isn’t it sweet?”

She just shook her head as she called for her transformation, a new question in mind—what was _wrong_ with Alternate Marinette?

Ladybug arrived to the fight just in time to catch and purify the akuma. The rest of her ridiculously large team had already done the work.

As she released the magical ladybugs that set the city back to normal, she caught a glimpse of Chat Noir leaping across rooftops, running away from the scene. Without thinking, she took off, chasing after him.

The rest of the team, the rest of this strange reality melted away as she ran, falling into a familiar rhythm of catching up to her partner, throwing out her yo-yo to stop him, bring him closer to her.

But when she saw him face to face, his eyes were filled with anger and hatred.

“Oh, Chat,” she said softly, stepping towards him.

“Don’t,” he spat at her. “Did you come to break my heart again? Tell me it’s worth it to be one of the good guys, just to grab my miraculous away?”

She let go of her yo-yo, letting the line fall slack around him. “I—I’m sorry…Chat, that wasn’t me! I still need you.”

“Doesn’t look like it,” he snarled before running away again.

Ladybug’s earrings beeped as her transformation fell away. Tikki did her best to comfort Marinette as the girl fell to her knees on a random rooftop, letting herself finally cry.

**

The weekend _finally_ came, and Ladybug followed her team to where Kid Turtle swore Hawkmoth had his lair. They broke through a large glass window to find Hawkmoth and Chat Noir, apparently waiting for them.

The fight was quick—the villains couldn’t stand up against a team of 7. Queen Bee was the one who pulled the miraculous off of Hawkmoth and handed the jewel to Ladybug.

Marinette gasped in shock when his transformation fell, leaving behind Gabriel Agreste. Her head reeled as Chat Noir cried out, “Father!”

“No,” Marinette mumbled, looking between Chat and Gabriel, putting together the dots. “No, you’re—you can’t be!”

“Do you get it now, _My Lady_?” he asked, ice and venom in his nickname for her. “Of course I’d choose my family over you—he promised to bring back my mother, and you tried to take away _everything!_ ”

“I’m sorry!” she cried out, squeezing her eyes shut to keep the tears in. “I— _that wasn’t me!_ ”

“So you’ve said,” Chat sneered. “Can you prove it?”

The rest of the team and Gabriel were oddly quiet, content to just watch this dramatic scene play out.

“I can’t prove anything,” Ladybug admitted. “But—I can set this right! Your miraculous and mine—I can _fix_ everything, put it back to normal!”

He clenched his hand into a fist. “Yeah right.”

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself of all the emotions spinning in her mind. She walked towards Chat, towards her partner. “Spots off.”

Chat stared at her as the magic washed over her. “Marinette?”

She nodded. “Please, Kitty. Please trust me. I just want my partner back. I know there’s consequences, but—I need you.”

“I shouldn’t trust you,” he said, but he slid the ring off his finger, his transformation falling. He held the ring tight in his fist as he added, “You’re a bully and a liar, Marinette.”

She flinched at his words, unable to stop the pained grimace that crossed her face.

“But—despite everything you did—I never stopped loving you,” he admitted. He locked eyes with her as he held out the ring. “I want my partner back, too.”

She slid the ring onto her own finger. She felt a sudden surge of magic running through her, and spoke aloud her wish, trusting in the divine elements that were definitely indescribable out of sheer power and definitely not because even the fucking meta is 100% done by this point.

“I want to go back home,” she said softly. “I want everything to go back to normal.”

 _THERE IS A PRICE_ , a voice in her head told her. It sounded like Tikki, combined with Plagg, combined with something very otherworldly.

“I accept it,” she said. “Anything to have my life again.”

_IT IS DONE._

**

Marinette woke up to her alarm going off in her own bedroom. Her eyes shot open and she hopped out of bed, for once excited to be awake!

“Good morning, early bird!” Tikki teased her with a smile. “What’s got you so awake?”

“I’m back from hell!” Marinette replied cheerily. “It’s Wednesday, right?”

“Um, yes,” the kwami replied, clearly confused. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Never better!” She got dressed and rushed downstairs, picking up a few pastries for her friends on the way. She had some _plans_ to avoid ever going down the path Alternate Marinette had chosen.

**

“Good morning!” Marinette greeted Alya and Nino as she walked up the front steps of Francois Dupont. “Want some croissants?”

“Dude, _yes_ ,” Nino said, happily taking one of the offered pastries. “You’re the best.”

“You’re also awake suspiciously early,” Alya said as she took a croissant. Her eyes narrowed. “Were you akumatized?”

Marinette laughed, shaking her head. “I just—I had a bad dream, and it made me thankful for my friends, okay? So I wanted to show you guys I appreciate you.”

“Aw, thanks M,” Alya said, wrapping her friend in a one-armed hug. “We appreciate you too.”

“No, seriously,” Marinette said. She stepped back so she could look Alya in the eye, and said, “I know we don’t agree on everything, especially when it comes to Lila, but _thank you_ for trusting in me. It means more than you’ll ever know.”

“Well, duh,” she replied, grinning. “What are BFFs for?” She looked over Marinette’s shoulder for a second and her grin turned into a devilish smirk as she added, “Besides pushing you to be with your crush, of course!”

Marinette turned, and couldn’t help the soft smile that crossed her face. She glanced back to Alya. “You know what? I think I’ve got this. Hold the croissants for me?”

Alya watched, dumbfounded, as her shy best friend marched straight up to Adrien without flinching.

“Hey hot stuff, I need to talk to you,” Marinette said, inwardly marveling at how _easy_ it was to talk to him when she just pictured him with those dorky cat ears on. “Got a minute?”

“I, uh—yeah,” Adrien replied, smiling and _blushing_ at the nickname.

“Come with me,” she said, turning on her heel, beckoning him with her finger. She led him beside the school, to a rarely used alley.

“So, um—what’s up, Marinette?” he asked.

She was not going to melt at his voice saying her name. She was going to keep up this confidence. “I have something to tell you, and it’s really important that I tell _you_ first, Kitty.”

He paled. “I—what are you talking about?” he said with a nervous laugh.

Marinette opened her bag and looked inside to see Tikki staring at her in horror. “Please trust me,” she whispered to the kwami. “I’ll explain everything later, I promise.”

Tikki didn’t seem convinced, but nodded, moving to sit on Marinette’s extended hand.

“I think you’ve met Tikki before,” Marinette said. “She’s—”

“Ladybug’s kwami,” Adrien finished, his eyes impossibly wide. He stared at Tikki, and then glanced at Marinette, his eyes flicking to her ears. “So that means you—”

“I’m Ladybug,” she said softly. “And you’re my Chat, aren’t you?”

Plagg flew out of Adrien’s pocket, racing to wrap Tikki in a hug before saying loudly, “Finally! Took you guys long enough.”

“I—how?” Adrien asked. “I mean, I’m really, _really_ glad that you’re _you_ , but—how did you know? Did I mess up?”

Marinette smiled. “It’s…a long story. And I promise I’ll explain later. But for now—” She cut herself off, the words she wanted to use suddenly escaping her mind. So instead of words, she let herself act on instinct, wrapping her arms around him, tilting her head and bringing her lips close to his.

“I thought—you said there’s another boy,” he said, right before their lips touched. She could feel his breath as he spoke.

“Turns out he was my partner all along,” she murmured before finally closing that gap, kissing him softly, pouring all the love and affection she had into that moment. Adrien’s arms moved around her waist, pulling her close as he kissed her, smothering her senses with _him_ in a perfect kiss that she never wanted to end.

But it did end eventually—and then was immediately followed by a second kiss, and a third, and a fourth. They managed to get to kiss number nine when the bell rang.

“We need to go,” Adrien said, though he didn’t move away from Marinette.

She nodded. “I got up early for once, I shouldn’t be late.”

“Do you think Alya would mind switching seats with me?” Adrien asked with a sheepish grin. “I just—I’m not ready to leave your side yet, my Lady.”

“I never want you to leave, my Kitty,” she replied. She wanted to kiss him again, feel the soft warmth of his lips on hers one more time, but knew she had to pull away. She grabbed her phone, sending Alya a quick text before saying, “Come on. We really need to go.”

**

As soon as the two entered the classroom, Lila rushed over to Adrien. Marinette winced as she watched the Italian girl cling to his arm, press herself against his side as she simpered, “Oh, Adrien! Just the person I’ve been looking for! Can you help me study at lunch, _please_?”

Marinette stepped forward, a cold smile on her face. “Lila,” she said in an icy tone, “would you please get your hands off my boyfriend?”

“Boyfriend?” Adrien asked, an amused smile on his face.

Lila just laughed. “Oh, Marinette, is this a joke or something? It’s cute, but you should’ve gotten Adrien in on it.”

Adrien pulled his arm out of Lila’s grasp, turning towards Marinette. “I thought we’d have to at least have our first date before that.”

“Oh, right,” Marinette said. “Want to go out at lunch?”

“I’d love to,” he responded, pulling her close for kiss number ten. The rest of the class broke into applause, mostly led by Alya.

Marinette moved to her seat and glanced back at an astonished Lila, mouth agape as she stared. “Sorry, Lila, seems like he’s going to be too busy to help you.”

Lila shut her mouth abruptly and shot Marinette the fiercest glare before stomping to her seat.

“I love you,” Adrien murmured as he took the seat beside her.

“Oh, so you can say that but I can’t call you my boyfriend yet?” she teased. “You’re lucky I love you too.”

**

Damian Wayne was not sure where exactly he was.

He’d awoken in some strange dorm-like room, with two teenage boys in there. One of them was talking nonstop in French, and called him “Dami” for some reason. The other didn’t speak a word but simply played random chords on his guitar.

_Ya khara._

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget: too much salt can ruin anything.


End file.
